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- This newsletter is distributed to anyone selling in a Slivers-of-Time marketplace. Also, to those waiting for a market to start in their area.
- It will keep you posted on developments in this exciting new way of working.
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in this issue
- SELLER IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Part-time zero to Slivers-of-Time hero
- SLIVERS FUTURES: The Slivers bus
- TIP: Who will sign?
- TUTORIAL: Loading a photo
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SELLER IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Part-time zero to Slivers-of-Time hero |
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Lone Mum:Sonia
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Take someone who's worked their way up through the furnace of customer service and performed under constant pressure as a night club manager. You'd expect them to get a job easily, right? Wrong.
Just ask 29 year old Sonia Marisa Ibrahim. “I'm a lone parent and I could only be available for work part-time”, Sonia explains. “I spent 4 months looking for a job that would allow me to work when my Mum was available to look after the children. But it's tough for people with that kind of limited availability.
Sonia spent 3-4 days a week online, applying for 10 jobs or more a day. “I just got rejection after rejection” she remembers. “There would be a job and I'd think, I am absolutely right for that, but then I found out they had 200 applicants and I wasn't even considered.”
Eventually she was accepted for a job as an ambulance driver, but had to be available for 45 hours a week. That was a non-starter. At this point Sonia saw a presentation about Slivers-of-Time Working at her Mum's housing association. “I just went over to the woman and said, ‘I am going to do this'” she remembers.
A few days later she had her first booking, opening envelopes and entering data. “It was only 6 hours but it made me realise I am NOT useless. I was so happy.” Now Sonia [Bookings: 27, Hours sold: 94.5, Buyers: 7] builds her work life around the needs of Patrick, 5, and Umberto, 1. And she's back on track with her career. “After I've done Slivers for a few more months I'll probably start applying again, I want a normal part time job when the right one comes along but I definitely want to keep selling Slivers around it.” |
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| SLIVERS FUTURES: The Slivers Bus |
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As Slivers-of-Time markets start to take off around the country, we see all sorts of promotional ideas emerging. In Liverpool, local TV stars are being co-opted into announcements, in West Yorkshire cash has been found to promote a new market through leafleting……by Slivers-of-Time sellers of course.
An agency in South London has gone for posters. In Hertfordshire it's all about kindling word of mouth. And down in Kent, open days are under discussion. But our current favourite idea comes from APT Human Resourcing with offices in Cardiff, Leeds, Newcastle and North Yorkshire.
In chocolate-box Bedale in the Yorkshire Dales, Director Terry Gayle has hit on the idea of a Slivers-of-Time bus. The idea is to pick up a local vehicle, rip out the seats, install PCs then take it round the dales stopping to let locals pick up leaflets and register themselves to sell Slivers. Unlike normal buses, you won't see two of these coming at once! |
Waiting for the transformation: a North Yorkshire bus. |
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| TIP: Who will sign? |
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If your buyer won't be around at the end of your booking, work out in advance who is going to sign your timesheet.
Cartoon by Slivers-of-Time seller Shamina Aktar Koli.
[Bookings: 23, Hours sold: 64.5, Buyers: 7]. |
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| TUTORIAL: Loading a photo |
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Once you're in your Slivers-of-Time marketplace, you may want to make a photo of yourself available for buyers. They only see it when making a booking for which you're available, it's within your MyTerms® parameters, and they're willing to pay your personalised rate.
A photo can be a way to show you're willing to dress smartly for business type bookings. Make sure you can access it on the computer you're using before you start uploading it.
Then: (1) go to About Me on your top menu bar (2) you can see the picture currently being displayed, click “browse” to change it (3) up pops a list of the files on the computer you're using, find your photo (4) it appears on your screen.
Your photo will be vetted by your agency, and you can remove it at any time.
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| Slivers-of-Time: the basics |
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Marketplaces for Slivers-of-Time are for:
1) Anyone who wants to work around other things in their life, such as:
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childcare
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studying
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part-time work
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caring for adult
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medical commitments
2) Organisations who need top-up workers at short notice, for short periods:
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councils
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caterers
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retailers
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logistics supplier
Benefits:
Sellers: do whatever odd hours of work they want and quickly build skills, experience and a track record they can print at any time.
Buyers: access a self selecting pool of local people who choose to work in a way that demands flexibility and rewards reliability.
Link to your local market:
Anyone who wants to know when a marketplace is starting in their area should enter their details at:
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